TO: Nigerian Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami

42 men are being held in Nigeria, accused of 'homosexual acts'. They were working together as a community to organise an HIV awareness and prevention event, held in a public space in a Lagos hotel.

I urge you to release these innocent men immediately and that no charges are brought against them. I also call on you to stop the arrests and persecution of Nigerians based on their perceived or actual sexual orientation.

This campaign is paused.

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Update - 24 November 2018: Our partners in Nigeria report that they are still in court with the Nigerian authorities. All the men who were arrested are out on bail. A hearing that was scheduled for November 22, 2017, was adjourned to December 1, 2017. We will continue monitoring the situation and urge the Nigerian government to drop all charges against these men.

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Update - 3 August 2017: Our partners in Nigeria report that all of the men are still in custody. A court has granted them bail – a horrendous amount that equals more than a year's income in Nigeria. The court also ordered some of the men to undergo "sexual rehabilitation” and to submit themselves to monitoring with a local HIV/Aids control agency. We continue to urge the authorities to release all those arrested immediately and unconditionally and to drop all charges against them.

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Update - 2 August 2017: Our partners in Nigeria are assessing new information on this case, so we are pausing this campaign as they continue their efforts on the ground.

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42 men have been arrested in Nigeria, accused of 'homosexual acts'. Their 'crime'? They were organising an HIV awareness event in a public hotel space.

If convicted, they could face up to 14 years in prison under Nigeria’s extreme anti-gay law.

Unjustified arrests and attacks like this against the LGBT community in Nigeria have been going on for years.

We must let Nigerian authorities know that the world is watching. Demand that no charges are brought against these 42 men and that they are immediately released.